Life Jackets Are Cool

Cardinal Rules of PFDs

1. Wear your PFD.

Testing your PFD

1. Put the PFD around your neck

2. Tie the neck straps in a bow

3. Buckle the waist belt

4.
Pull the waist belt until it is snug (ideally, the PFD should be
adjustable so that you can get a snug, but comfortable fit, over a
range
of clothing, from a T-shirt to a pile sweater to a parka or
rain-coat).

5. Try some paddling motions to make sure the PFD doesn't chafe or impair your
range of motion.

6. Kneel or sit, and with your arms raised over your head, ask a friend to lift
the top of PFD as high as it will go. If the neck tie of the PFD goes above
your chin, or if your ears and neck slip though the head opening, it’s too
loose. The PFD should not move freely or slip off.